By Aishah Hamza

WHILE others may bask in the media glitz and recognition that comes with winning a world title, for Jasmine Yeong-Nathan, getting to inspire young athletes is the best experience she has had so far.

Shortly after her win in Mexico last year, Yeong-Nathan was invited to the Singapore Sports School to receive an award of recognition along with national swimmer, Tao Li.

She was also given the opportunity to speak to about 80 Primary 6 students about her experiences.

That opportunity proved to be more memorable than the award itself.

It made Yeong-Nathan realise how much her win can inspire others, just like how multiple gold-medallist Remy Ong inspired her all those years ago.

'When Remy won the medals, the young bowlers including me were like, 'wah! I want to be like Remy Ong,' she said animatedly.

'If I can make that kind of impact on the lives of the up and coming bowlers, I'll be more than glad.'

Experiences

With the Asian Youth Games and the Youth Olympics coming up, will Yeong-Nathan be willing to mentor budding athletes, even those outside of bowling?

'As long as they're willing to learn and listen, I'm more than willing to share my experiences and be there for them,' she said.

Yeong-Nathan admits that there are new responsibilities that come with being someone aspiring athletes can look up to.

She now has to be mindful of how she portrays herself in public so as not to send the wrong message across.

But despite this challenge, Yeong-Nathan is relishing her new role as a mentor.

In fact, she is eagerly looking forward to more opportunities that will let her speak to young students in Singapore.

'It is all for the greater good,' she said.

'I know first hand how important role models are to kids because I was just like them before.'

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